This morning, Red Death announced on Twitter that they’re calling it quits. The great Washington, DC punk/metal band had a long run, but they didn’t put a whole lot of ceremony into their breakup announcement: “After 7 years and countless shows we’ve decided to end the band and go our separate ways.”

Red Death formed in 2013, and they released their debut album, the frantic shit-ripper Permanent Exile, in 2015. In the early days, Red Death were coming out of the resurgent DIY hardcore scene in their hometown, and they shared members with bands like the late and lamented Pure Disgust. Red Death always had a whole lot of ’80s speed metal in their sound. Over three albums, they moved in more of a straight-up classic-thrash direction, though they always kept the intensity of hardcore. The band released their last album, the hugely impressive Sickness Divine, a little less than a year ago.

This sucks. Red Death were true road warriors, and they had a hugely commanding presence onstage. Their albums were becoming more polished and virtuosic, but they were doing it without losing their sense of grit. Sickness Divine was the band’s first album for the big metal indie Century Media, so they seemed to be moving up in the world. But DC punk bands never last as long as they should, and the pandemic has been hell on touring bands. It would be cool as hell to see the band play a farewell show once the pandemic is over, but the breakup announcement doesn’t mention the possibility of anything like that. So pour one out for Red Death, one more cool thing that we don’t have anymore.